The Conversation

New Apostolic Reformation evangelicals see Trump as God’s warrior in their battle to win America from satanic forces and Christianize it

Written by Art Jipson, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Dayton

President-elect Donald Trump, joined by Melania Trump and Barron Trump, on Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla.AP Photo/Alex Brandon

A growing movement believes President-elect Donald Trump is fighting a spiritual war against demonic forces within the United States. Trump himself stated in his acceptance speech on Nov. 6, 2024, that the reason...

How Trump might target DACA recipients and other immigrant groups

Written by Jean Lantz Reisz, Clinical Associate Professor of Law, Co-Director, USC Immigration Clinic, University of Southern California

Migrants attempting to illegally cross the U.S. border from Mexico are detained by Border Patrol officers on June 4, 2024. Katie McTiernan/Anadolu via Getty Images

Donald Trump has promised voters that he would carry out a range of immigration actions, including deporting, with the help of the National Guard or military, millions of immigrants...

How Trump won Pennsylvania − and what the numbers from key counties show about the future of a pivotal swing state

Written by Daniel J. Mallinson, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Administration, Penn State

People gather at McGillin's Olde Ale House in Philadelphia as election results trickle in. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images

Pennsylvania was for months considered the key swing state that would decide the 2024 election. Candidates, political parties and advocacy groups spent over US$1 billion courting the commonwealth’s small number of...

What Trump can do to reverse US climate policy − and what he probably can’t change

Written by Gautam Jain, Senior Research Scholar in Financing the Energy Transition, Columbia University

Donald Trump tours a liquefied natural gas terminal under construction in Louisiana in 2019.AP Photo/Evan Vucci

As the U.S. prepares for another Trump administration, one area unambiguously in the incoming president’s crosshairs is climate policy.

Although he has not released an official climate agenda, Donald Trump’s playbook from his...

The 4 ‘ashramas’ of Hinduism and what they can teach us about aging gracefully

Written by Nandini Bhattacharya, Professor of English, Texas A&M University

What's the secret to aging well?FG Trade/Collection E+ via Getty images

Aging is often feared, resisted, and in the cruelest of cases, mocked and even punished.

Louise Aronson, a geriatrician and author of the book “Elderhood,” puts it well when she says older people who seek health care are often made to feel superfluous even if the...

Religions talk about the value of humility − but it can be especially hard for clergy to practice what they preach

Written by Elise Ji Young Choe, Psychology Researcher, the Danielsen Institute, Boston University

It can be hard to be humble when people look to you for answers.pastie/E+ via Getty Images

Being a religious leader means wearing many different hats. At times, their congregations expect them to convey passionate confidence – to be models of faith and strength. But wise leadership also means listening and being willing to change your mind:...

Ballot measures to legalize recreational use of cannabis fail in Florida, North Dakota and South Dakota

Written by William Garriott, Professor of Law, Politics and Society, Drake University

Florida's marijuana measure needed 60% of the vote to pass and got only 56%.Tina Russell for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Nov. 5, 2024, was a tough day for cannabis legalization supporters.

Recreational legalization ballot questions in Florida, North Dakota and South Dakota all failed.

Two medical measures passed in Nebraska but face legal...

‘Yellowstone’ highlights Montana’s long-forgotten connection to the Confederacy

Written by Randi Lynn Tanglen, Professor of English and Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, University of North Dakota

During and after the Civil War, thousands of Confederate soldiers resettled in the Big Sky State.Donovan Reese/Photodisc via Getty Images

The popular “Yellowstone” TV series, set and filmed in Montana, taps into a lesser-known chapter of the state’s history: its settlement by Confederates and ex-Confederates during and after the...

Military veterans are disproportionately affected by suicide, but targeted prevention can help reverse the tide

Written by Jordan Batchelor, Research Analyst at the Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety, Arizona State University

Mounting evidence shows that veterans need targeted suicide prevention services.adamkaz/E+ via Getty Images

America’s military veterans make up about 6% of the adult population but account for about 20% of all suicides. That means that each day, about 18 veterans will die by suicide.

In the U.S., the overall rate of suicide has largely...

Microplastics promote cloud formation, with likely effects on weather and climate

Written by Miriam Freedman, Professor of Chemistry, Penn State

Giant cumulonimbus clouds in Australia.Steve Christo - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

Clouds form when water vapor – an invisible gas in the atmosphere – sticks to tiny floating particles, such as dust, and turns into liquid water droplets or ice crystals. In a newly published study, we show that microplastic particles can have the same...